Sourdough Starter FAQs [Maintenance, Feeding, Baking] - Grant Bakes (2024)

Sourdough bread baking has been a hobby of mine for a few years now. I’ve made hundreds of loaves of bread with many successes and many failures. I’ve also taught hundreds of people to make their own sourdough starters from scratch following a very simple method. If you’re new to the sourdough world, you may have a few unanswered questions about sourdough starters. I hope to answer all of your questions below in my Sourdough Starter FAQs.

But first, if you want to make your own sourdough starter from scratch, you should start with my video tutorial on YouTube. In that video, you’ll learn all you need to know in order to make your own starter from scratch in about one week. You can find the video here.

Let’s talk about a few frequently asked questions when it comes to creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

Sourdough Starter FAQs – Feeding and Maintenance

How long can sourdough starter sit at room temperature?

You can let your sourdough starter sit at room temperature for up to 48 hours without any harmful effects. As time goes on, the gluten structure in the starter will begin to degrade and the starter will become more liquid. Furthermore, if you leave your starter sitting out for longer than 48 hours, it may begin producing a foul-smelling odor, caused by butyric acid. For this reason, it is recommended to keep your starter in the refrigerator when your are not actively feeding it.

How long can you keep sourdough starter in the fridge?

As a general rule, you can keep sourdough starter in the fridge for up to a two months without feeding it. A typical refrigerator set to 39°F will preserve your sourdough starter in a semi-dormant state for two months without any problems. However, to keep your starter in its most active state, you should feed it at least once a week before returning it to the fridge.

What do you do if your sourdough starter doesn’t rise?

As a general rule, if your sourdough starter hasn’t risen yet, it needs more time to ferment. An active starter will double in size in about 4 hours, but some starters take much longer. So, if you’re sourdough starter doesn’t rise, move it to a warm spot (between 70°-80°F) and let it rest for 12 more hours. After 12 hours it should show bubbles and signs of rising and falling.

Check out the tools that I use for sourdough bread on my Recommended Tools Page here.

Why is my sourdough starter bubbling but not rising?

If your sourdough starter is bubbling but not rising, it probably just needs more time to ferment. Move your starter to a warm spot (between 70°-80°F) and allow it to continue fermenting for 4-12 more hours. Watch it every hour or so to see if it rises. If the starter is still bubbling but not rising, try feeding it again. Remove all but 50 grams of the starter and feed it 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Keep repeating this process ever 12 hours until the starter rises predictably 4-8 hours after each feeding.

Should my sourdough starter rise every day?

Your sourdough starter will only rise every day if you feed it every day. A healthy and active sourdough starter will double in size in about 4-8 hours after being fed. If you are using your sourdough starter every day, and feeding it every day, it will rise every day. But, once your starter falls back down, it won’t rise again unless you feed it.

How do I know if my sourdough starter is healthy?

As a general rule, your sourdough starter is healthy and active if it rises to double its volume within 4-8 hours of being fed. The starter should smell slightly sweet or acidic a few hours after it is fed, and its color should be similar to the flour that you are feeding it. Orange or pink colors are signs of an unhealthy starter that should be thrown away.

Is my sourdough starter dead?

This is one of the most common sourdough starter FAQs, but it’s rarely ever something to worry about. As a general rule, a sourdough starter is “dead” when it stops rising after proper feedings. If it’s been in the fridge for a while and now it is rising more slowly than normal, this doesn’t mean it is dead, it just needs to be refreshed. But, if you do feed your sourdough starter properly for a few days to try to refresh it, and nothing happens at all, your sourdough starter may be dead, and it’s time to make a new one.

Do you need to use fruit to make a sourdough starter?

Some sourdough starter recipes call for using raisins, pineapple juice, apples, or other fruit to get your starter going in the beginning. But, as a general rule, you don’t need to use fruit to make a sourdough starter. The only ingredients you need to make a viable sourdough starter are flour and water.

If you’re interested in making your own sourdough starter from scratch, you can do it in just about one week! Check out my Sourdough Starter Guide for more information.

Can you mix two different sourdough starters together?

You can mix two different sourdough starters together. When you do, the two starters will combine their unique yeast and bacteria properties together. After a few days of feeding, the new starter will stabilize and form a unique characteristic of its own. There is not much benefit to mixing two sourdough starters together since the flavor of your sourdough starter is greatly a function of the flour that you feed it.

Can I add yeast to my sourdough starter?

As a general rule, you cannot add yeast to your sourdough starter. Some people think that this will help get their sourdough starter going in the beginning, but it is unnecessary and not recommended. If you add baker’s yeast (or instant yeast) to your sourdough starter, it will change the make-up of the yeast/bacteria culture and your starter will no longer be a true sourdough starter.

Now, let’s talk about a few frequently asked questions that have to do with baking with a sourdough starter.

Sourdough Starter FAQs – Baking

How much sourdough starter should I use for 500 grams of flour?

As a general rule, you should use around 50-150 grams of sourdough starter per 500 grams of flour in your bread recipe. 50 grams of starter would be 10% in bakers percentages, and 150 grams of starter would be 30%. Many typical sourdough bread recipes fall within this range. Using less starter will cause your bread to rise more slowly, and more starter will make your starter rise more quickly.

Can I bake with a weak starter?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t bake bread with a weak starter. If your starter is moving slowly, and not predictably doubling in size after you feed it, it’s too weak to bake with. A weak starter will take too long to leaven your dough, and likely will result in an under proofed bread.

Can I add yeast to my sourdough bread?

You can add yeast to your sourdough bread to help it rise faster, although it will no longer be a true sourdough bread. Adding commercial yeast to sourdough bread turns it into a hybrid sourdough/yeasted bread, so it won’t be a “sourdough bread” in the purest sense. However, many traditional breads in Germany rely on a mixture of sourdough and commercial yeast, so there is a culinary precedent for these types of breads.

Conclusion – Sourdough Starter FAQs

If you’re new to baking sourdough, you might have a bunch more unanswered sourdough starter questions. In my opinion the best way to understand sourdough starters is to make your own from scratch. If you’ve never made a sourdough starter from scratch before, now is the time to try. It’s really not as difficult as it seems!

So, sign up for the Grant Bakes Newsletter and I’ll send you my Sourdough Starter Guide in your first email. In the guide, I’ll show you how I create sourdough starters from scratch in just one week, and I’ll explain how you can do the same. That means in one week you’ll have a starter that’s ready to bake bread with. You can do this!

Learn more about my Sourdough Starter Guide here.